Syntactic Parallelism in Classical Arabic and Biblical Hebrew: A Comparative Semantic Study

Abstract

This study examines the syntactic parallelism occurrence in the sacred sublime texts, particularly in the Holy Qur’an and the Hebrew Torah, as a common linguistic root and stylistic device in the Semitic sacred texts. It attempts to reveal the unity of the stylistic tool and the diversity, including the types of synonymous, antithetic, cumulative, rhetorical, and semantic functions between the two texts through a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach. The findings reveal that syntactic parallelism represents a common rhetorical root in the Semitic tradition, fosters cohesion, rhythm, and emphasis, but that differences in context and purpose have resulted in functional diversity. In the Holy Qur’an, it is directed towards doctrinal persuasion and legislation, while in the Hebrew Torah, it takes a preaching and emotional path. Thus, the comparison confirmed that the unity of the tool does not negate the semantic uniqueness, but rather enriches the understanding of textual aesthetics and rhetorical intentions in each of the two texts.